Winches (sometimes also referred to as “hoists”) are commonly used in lifting and lowering loads, for example, materials, workpieces, and/or persons, via a cable or chain that wraps and unwraps around a drum. Such winches are often used to move materials, workpieces, and/or persons about a factory or industrial site, for example an offshore oil rig. A slack line condition may occur when the cable goes slack, for example, when the load lands on the ground or is otherwise obstructed while the cable is being paid out. Winches may include one or more slack line condition sensors that automatically brake the winch drum when such a slack line condition is detected.